The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to peptide agents for the treatment of diseases.
Dysfunctions in serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) systems have been associated with several psychiatric illnesses, including anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders and autism spectrum disorders. Several genetic variants in the 5-HT transporter gene (SERT, SLC6A4) have been associated with behavioral phenotypes manifested in these disorders, especially in the context of genetic interactions or under specific environmental conditions. Variations in whole blood 5-HT levels, found in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism, bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder are associated with non-coding variation in ITGB3. Genetic interaction of ITGB3, which encodes the integrin b3 subunit (forming the integrin αIIvbβ3 in platelets and integrin αaβ3 in brain), and SLC6A4, either in mRNA expression or autism susceptibility, further reinforces the suggestion that these two genes interact to modify 5-HT homeostasis. Whyte et al. demonstrates that ITGB3 and SLC6A4 interact to modulate SERT expression and function in the brain (Whyte et al. Neurochemistry International 73 (2014) 122-126).
Background art includes Zhong et al. Virology Journal 2011, 8:542 and European Patent Application EP 2345737 A1.